Hard and fast chest compressions immediately after cardiac arrest can save a life.

University of Tasmania: Shock Verdict

One minute they're walking along and talking, the next they're on the floor, not breathing and with no pulse. And what you do over the next 10 minutes will be the difference between life and death.

Each year in Australia about 20,000 people have a cardiac arrest out of hospital, but only 10 per cent of these people will survive.

A cardiac arrest is when your heart suddenly stops pumping. This means your brain is quickly starved of oxygen, you become unconscious and stop breathing.

It takes only three minutes for brain damage to set in and within 10 minutes the person has usually died. In most cases the ambulance will not make it in time.

A new video aims to educate otherwise untrained Australians on how to help someone in cardiac arrest.

The new video, set in the world of the TV show Rake, is the brainchild of Royal Hobart Hospital chief cardiologist Dr Paul MacIntyre, who couldn't find anything showing hands-only CPR and how to use an AED alongside Australian emergency services details.

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Rake cast return for CPR awareness campaign

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